Nervous Heights
by Angel-chan Desu
Summary: Serena drags her friends to Sinnoh to climb Mt Coronet. Calem isn't too sure about it. Oneshot. Serena/Calem if you squint. Sorry it wasn't proper ship tease, I did try.


"Can I just ask again why we had to come all the way to Sinnoh to explore some caves?" Calem asked, eying up the rocky surface of Mt Coronet nervously. His friends stood around him, chatting excitedly. Even Trevor was looking forward to the excursion, though his enthusiasm was geared more to the pokémon in the area, especially since Sinnoh was a different region entirely from Kalos, with a vast amount of pokémon unique to the region that wouldn't be found in Kalos, or other regions.

"Because Mt Coronet is a challenge! It's risky, dangerous, exciting!" Serena cheered, laughing as she threw her arm around her less than enthusiastic friend.

"The 'risky' and 'dangerous' parts are what worry me about this trip," Calem frowned. She ignored the boy, and instead continued her spiel. She pointed at the sky, most likely trying to point at the peak, which was covered with clouds.

"I want to go all the way to the top. I want to be so high, I can not only see all of Sinnoh, but also Kalos! It'd be amazing!" she squealed, her grip on Calem tightening. The boy began struggling in her grasp, finding his ability to breathe slowly being restricted.

"Serena, can you just," he gasped, clawing at her arm. The girl chuckled nervously as she released him and he took in a deep breath.

"But seriously Calem," she continued, looking back up at the mountain, "this is a great experience. To climb mountains like this. It's an adventure." Her grey eyes sparkled with awe and wonder at the thought of adventure, and Calem couldn't help but stare. A small smile came to his face. Having been best friends for years, he knew Serena well; she was hot-headed and easily excitable, but she was also passionate. And when she got passionate about something, she could be highly influencial.

Which was partly why they were here, in Sinnoh. He could still remember what she'd said back home, in Vaniville Town.

_"Maybe once I'm done with the Kalos Pokémon League...I've been thinking about travelling the other regions. More specifically, I want to climb the mountains of the other regions. Exploring the rest of the region would be a bonus. Actually...why don't we do it now? Yeah! That's an idea! We'll start with Sinnoh!"_

"Alright gang," Serena shouted, moving from Calem's side to stand in front of the group, facing them, "here's our plan of action; we're on a straight path up the mountain. We will stop often for food and to catch our breaths, but under no circumstances do we take detours. Our goal is the top of Coronet, and that's it. We're not looking to take a wrong turn and find ourselves on the road to...that city in the north of Sinnoh."

"You mean Snowpoint City, right?" Trevor asked, adjusting his glasses. Serena smiled, pointing at him and confirming with her loud voice, "Exactly! Thank you Trevor." The boy adjusted his glasses again then flipped open his notebook, jotting down what Serena had said while muttering, "Shame, Sinnoh's got some interesting Ice-type pokémon up north I would like to see." Beside him, Shauna started bouncing on her toes, waving her hand in the air.

"Oh oh, Serena, see after this trip, could we stop off in Hearthome City~ ? I want to see the contest hall~ ," she asked. Serena shrugged, still beaming.

"I don't see why not. We're entering Coronet from Oreburgh, and if my map is correct, Hearthome can be accessed by going through the mountain from Oreburgh. If we take the same route down that we take up, we'd only have to go out the other side to head to Hearthome. So it shouldn't be a problem." Calem was impressed.

"You've done your research," he muttered, not really loud enough for her to hear, but at the same time, not quiet enough to keep it to himself. Serena, having heard his comment, simply smiled at him.

"Well then troops," she said, turning sharply on her heel, "I say we begin our expedition! Any objections?" Calem lifted his hand, ready to voice his worries again, when she cut him off.

"Good! Then onward ho!" She darted forward for the cave entrancing, Shauna and Tierno running after her, cheering. Trevor raced behind them, barely able to keep up and keep his glasses on. Calem was left alone. Sighing, he gripped his backpack and followed behind his friends, walking at a slower pace.

* * *

Zubats hung from the ceiling, their eyeless heads seeming to follow the group. Rocks would often come to life as the kids' flashlights passed over them, crawling away and revealing the rocks to instead be Geodudes. They even spied a Bronzor floating down a corridor at one point, and only Serena's insistence that they stay on the path prevented Trevor from chasing after it.

"Alright, we'll stop here to eat," Serena ordered, running down some stairs and coming to a stop by a cave lake. Shauna ran down after her and bent down by the water's edge. She put her hand in the water and gasped, "It's so clear~ . And pretty~ . You wouldn't expect something like this in a mountain would you~ ?" Trevor joined her, bending down so close to the surface that he may tip forward into the water. He didn't however, and instead he straighter up again and started writing down notes, no doubt about the pokémon within the depts.

Tierno began unpacking the food they'd brought from his backpack while Calem wandered further down the lake edge. It certainly was a pretty cavern. It was quiet, peaceful. When he was a little away from his friends, he sat down and took out a book from his bag. It wasn't that he didn't like spending time with his friends, he just prefered reading in peace.

He and his friends all had different interests when it came to pokémon. Trevor was more interested in pokémon in general. The different types and how they act in different environments and around different pokémon. General pokémon stuff.

Serena liked to battle. She was always so focused on type advantages and statistics. At the same time however, she loved to explore. Hence why she wanted to travel the regions and climb the mountains within the regions.

Shauna and Tierno liked to show off with their pokémon. Tierno liked dancing and Shauna loved Pokémon Contests. Tierno had pretty much taken up residence in Lumiose City to train his pokémon, while Shauna's main goal was to travel to the city that hosts contests in all regions, which was why she wanted to go to Hearthome.

For Calem, he was fascinated by legendary pokémon. Simply the fact that virtually nothing was known about them made him curious. The group had come into Sinnoh by boat, meaning they entered the region through Canalave City. While there, he'd taken out a book from the library. A book about Sinnoh's legends.

He'd already read some of it when they stopped off in Jubilife City for supplies. The stories and myths about the Lake Trio Pokémon certainly were fascinating, but what truly caught his attention in the book were the tales of the Creation Trio. And secretly, while he would never admit this to Serena, he was looking forward to reaching the peak of Coronet. Purely so he could see Spear Pillar.

They were only stories, and he had no way of verifying them, but he wanted to see the place where the supposed battle between Team Galactic and a mysterious trainer took place to protect the legendary Pokémon of time, space and dimensions.

Calem was very much engrossed in his book, and he didn't hear Serena approaching, holding a cling film wrapped sandwhich.

"Calem, you alright there?" The boy jumped, snapped away from his own world. Serena giggled at his reaction, and joined him on the ground.

"I brought you food," she said, holding out the sandwhich for him. Taking it with a mumbled thank you, he opened it and started to eat, putting the book back in his bag. At least that what he tried to do, but Serena snatched it from his hand.

"What this? That book you got from Canalave Library?" she asked, flicking through the pages quickly, not even properly reading or skimming them.

Giggling again, she clamped it shut and said to the boy, nudging his arm while he tried to hide his blushing face with his hat, "You are such a dork sometimes. It's actually hard to believe the others don't know about this side of you."

Calem gulped down the mouthful of food he had before replying, "Yeah well, I guess in hindsight, I don't spend as much time with them as I do with you. I'm still not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"How rude! Anyone else would be grateful to have someone as awesome as me as a best friend! Especially since I keep their little secrets for them, like the fact they're a total bookworm dork, or that they once spooked a herd of Skiddo when they were younger. Which, if I remember correctly, destroyed half of Vaniville." Serena cast a sly smirk at the boy beside her, who looked panicked.

"You keep your voice down," he hissed, casting a glance over her shoulder at their other friends. Fortunately, they were paying the two no attention. Sighing with relief, Calem muttered, "Alright alright, your an awesome friend and yes, I know I'm still practically indebted to you for not spilling that it was me that freaked the Skiddo. Just...keep your voice down." The blonde chuckled.

"Okay, okay. But serious question here; what's up with you? You still seem pretty freaked in here. It was more noticeable when we were walking through the caves, but still." Calem shrugged.

"I guess I just ain't used to this place. For starters, there's the pokémon. Most of them aren't like the ones back home. Plus...I dunno. I'll be honest, this trip has been interesting, but I can't help but feel uneasy." The two friends fell quiet. The cave itself was still fairly quiet, though the silence was split at times by Shauna's laughter picking up and echoing off the walls.

"Y'know you don't have to worry right?" Serena suddenly said, putting her arm around his shoulders, though this act wasn't as rough or energetic - or as suffocating - as when she did it earlier.

"I mean, I know that's what you're like. You worry and you act as the mature one in our little duo friendship thing. And I'm the one who looks after you in return, trying to get you out of your shell," she continued, squeezing his arm. Calem frowned and said, "Our friendship isn't like a soap opera, Serena."

"I know, but you have to admit, that is exactly what our friendship is," she pointed out, poking his cheek. Calem sighed; she did have a point. He was the one who always looked out for Serena, panicking if she got into a dangerous spot, despite knowing that she would be fine. Meanwhile, she was the one who pulled dangerous stunts and dragged him along with her. Her way of "trying to get him out of his shell" as she put it.

"So don't worry, Calem. I will make sure this trip goes smoothly. No-one will get hurt, and when we get back down onto flat land, we'll see the rest of the region in complete safety, if only to relax your ruffled feathers and quench everyone else's curiosity." They both fell silent again, until Calem asked, a hint of worry in his voice, "You promise?" Serena nodded, smiling.

"Of course." With that, she gave him a quick hug with both arms, then left him alone again, rejoining their other friends. Calem smiled, picking up his book again. He thought about continuing to read, but he decided against it. Putting the book in his bag, he stood, grabbing his sandwhich and went to join his friends.

It was moments like this when he appreciated having Serena as a friend, even if she could be difficult at times.

* * *

**Omg a ****_Pokémon_**** fic. 8D**

**So yeah, fun fact about Angel-chan; I've got a soft spot for ****_Pokémon_****. Fair enough, I watched the anime as a wee lass, plus I play the games.**

**...I say games, I've played Diamond and that's it. But I'm really looking forward to X and Y, if this fic was any hint. But my nostalgia and feels for GenIV, since it was my first Gen despite its flaws, is why this fic is set in Sinnoh.**

**This is supposed to be Serena/Calem ship tease, but I don't think I accomplished that. :'''D Ah well, I guess if you squint you can see it. Also, note since the games ain't out yet, the characters of Calem and Serena pretty much have my headcanon personalities attached to them. Hope youse don't mind. :3**

**And with that, I end these A/Ns.**

**Hope youse enjoyed reading~!**

**Angel-chan x**


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